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CUTTING TOOLS
Specifying a tool like never before In 2018, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) reported that manufacturers would turn increasingly to eCommerce to improve their processes — following examples set by Amazon, Tesla and Uber. Jonas Ljungdahl of Sandvik Coromant explains how one leading hydraulics manufacturer designed and acquired a tool in just ten days, with Sandvik Coromant’s own eCommerce platform. PwC’s ideas were presented to global steel industry representatives at the 2018 Surface Inspection Summit (SIS) in Aachen, Germany. Their ideas were widely seen as outlandish at the time, including predictions that: original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) would centralise their sales online, like Amazon; would increasingly support customers with design and development, like Tesla; and would form digital networks, much like Uber. The predictions raised eyebrows at the time. However, if anything, manufacturers have since moved beyond eCommerce and adopted customer engagement (CE) and customer experience (CX) as main principles behind their online investments. As confirmed in PwC’s later Retail Outlook 2020 report: companies are competing on CE; and most of the competition now takes place online. Manufacturers have embraced multichannel commerce models that bring several customer routes — online web pages, product catalogues and sales teams — into a unified, single ecosystem that offers the best possible experience and freedom of choice. After all, it boils down to time, costs and acquiring the right tool for the best end result. So, why not go online? Another advantage is that customers can today access an entire manufacturing and process planning system, with just a few clicks of a mouse. Sandvik Coromant has been using computerised software for process planning and production since the 1980s. We call this complete computer aided process planning (CAPP), a parametric process planning system that commences when we wish to manufacture a product. When we refer to process planning, we mean selecting the right process order, the right machine and operation, and so on. We can calculate the time-per-piece and any other operating instructions. Most of our production units around the world are equipped with this software, and, what’s more, they are linked together. So, any product that can be described by parameters can use the CAPP system — all by automation. The possibilities for customising tools were extensive. So, we realised, why not share these capabilities with our customers? The result was that Sandvik Coromant developed its own Tailor Made software platform.
AMT APR 2022
Manufacturers have embraced multi-channel commerce models to offer customers more freedom of choice.
With a few clicks The customised tooling aspect is important because there has previously been a fear among manufacturers that online platforms make it difficult to treat customers as individuals. In other words, these platforms won’t provide the solution to their unique problem. Also, with any custom tooling solution, manufacturers are wary of high costs and long lead times. The opposite is true with Sandvik Coromant’s Tailor Made platform. Customers can go online, enter their tool requirements and receive two dimensional (2D) and three dimensional (3D) computer aided design (CAD) files of the component, plus the price and lead times. Customers are not just browsing or buying existing off-the-shelf products — as you would typically find on Amazon. Instead, they are interactively developing solutions for their own manufacturing needs. Customers can log in the Tailor Made portal on Sandvik Coromant’s website, customise their own tools — let’s say a drill bit — and specify crucial factors like geometry, diameter and more. Users can even resubmit their order to refine the tool, receiving updated models and drawings.
When the design is finished, the customer receives an immediate quote for prices and delivery times and can place an order with just another click. And, when a customer uses the software, they are actually accessing Sandvik Coromant’s CAPP system. So far, so good. But there is one obstacle with the Tailor Made online software, which is overcoming a lack of awareness among manufacturers. The vast majority aren’t aware that they have the opportunity to tailor tools online. For Sandvik Coromant, a challenge is encouraging customers to make the conscious decision to log in and explore this application.
Two becomes one One customer that uses Tailor Made is Kawasaki Precision Machinery, the hydraulic technology specialist, which also happened to be the first company to use the platform. The customer creates world-class pumps, motors and valves that are used across the maritime industry and other sectors. It has been a Sandvik Coromant customer for more than 20 years and uses Sandvik Coromant tools for drilling, milling, turning and boring.
